Wednesday, June 13, 2012

"Sacred eloquence" in Christian preaching

The eloquent tongue of St. Anthonymiraculously from corruption

June
13th, Feast of St. Anthony of Padua

While St. John Chrysostom is
the patron saint of preachers, there can be no doubt that St. Anthony of Padua
is a most superb model for all Christian preaching. Not only is he recognized
as the great preacher of the Friars Minor (i.e. the Franciscans), we must also
recognize that many of his greatest miracles are associated with his preaching.

Consider, for example, his
famous sermon to the fishes on the bank of the river Brenta near Padua – his
spiritual father, St. Francis, is often remembered for speaking to animals, but
it was St. Anthony who preached to the fishes!

Beyond this most extraordinary
example of preaching, recall that he once bilocated while preaching on Holy
Thursday; that, on another occasion, he preserved his audience from getting wet
while he preached in the midst of a rainstorm; and that, when once the pulpit
in which he was preaching collapsed and fell among the hearers, none was hurt,
not even the saint himself.

We do well then, in honor of
St. Anthony, to consider what is the sacred eloquence of a truly Christian
preaching, and how this differs from the profane eloquence of worldly
discourse.

Two
resources on preaching

While there are certainly many
good studies on what makes good Catholic preaching, we point in particular to
two works. First, by St. Alphonsus Liguori, “Selva” or “Dignity and duties of a priest” [here]. The
chapter on preaching is superb.

Second, the chapters on preaching
in “The priest in union with Christ”, by Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, are a
must-read for any modern preacher. Find the book on-line, [here].

A priest friend of mine, upon
reading the passages from Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange’s book, called my attention to
the great need there is in our own day to stress the importance of a thoroughly
Christian and evangelical approach to preaching. To this end, I will offer a
number of inspiring quotes from these two books. It is my desire that these
passages would help to inspire all priests (myself included) to preach according
to the desires of the Sacred Heart of our Savior.

Pray
for priests to preach well

Before giving the quotations
from St. Alphonsus and Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange, I must stress the necessity of
prayer for good preaching. Not only must the priest himself be a man of prayer,
but he must be supported by the prayers of devout lay persons and religious.

How good it would be if
families would pray and fast, at least on Saturdays, for their parish priest
and for all priests who will be preaching that weekend! How many souls would be
converted through the homilies of priests for whom the Christian faithful
offered prayers and sacrifices – especially if they did this in the context of
family life!

We simply cannot overstate the
importance of praying for priests, and especially praying that they be good and
holy preachers who effectively convey the Gospel and inspire their flock to the
love of Christ. Additionally, it is most necessary that we all pray for priests
to be good and holy confessors.

From
St. Alphonsus, “Selva” or “Dignity
and Duties of the Priest”

The
remote preparation for preaching

“In the first place, in order to preach well learning and
study are necessary. He who preaches at random will do more injury than service
to religion.”

“In the second place, an exemplary life is necessary.”

“Justly, then, did Father John d’Avila say to a person who
asked what rule he should follow in order to preach well, that the best means
of preaching well was to love Jesus Christ ardently.”

“The preacher must have an affection for mental prayer, in
which he may excite the sentiments that he will afterwards communicate to
others. Mental prayer is the blessed furnace in which sacred orators are
inflamed with divine love.”

“It is necessary to preach with a good intention, that is,
not for temporal interest, but for the glory of God; not to attract empty
praises, but to procure the salvation of souls.”

Sacred
eloquence and simplicity of style

“Hence, as the Council of Trent ordains, it is the duty of
preachers to preach in a manner accommodated to the capacity of their hearers
[…] What a pity, sometimes, to see so many of the poor going to the sermon, and
afterwards leaving the church affliceted and wearied, without having understood
almost any part of the discourse. Justly has Father John d’Avila said, that they
who preach in a lofty style, not intelligible to the audience, are traitors to
Jesus Christ; and that, though sent by him to procure his glory, they seek only
their own exaltation. Justly, too, has Father Caspar Sanzio said, that such
preachers are at present day the greatest persecutors of the Church, because by
their sermons they are the cause of the perdition of many souls that would be
saved by exhortations composed in a simple and apostolic style.”

“Hence it is always expedient to preach in a simple, popular
style, not only in the missions and spiritual exercises, but also in all
sermons addressed to the people.”

From
Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange, “The Priest in Union with Christ”

Preparation
for preaching

“The priest must first convince himself that his commission
to preach the Gospel has come from God through the Bishop, and that he cannot
fulfill his task successfully without the aid of grace. God alone can move
men’s hearts and convert sinners. For that reason the priest must pray to God
for the necessary grace, so that his preaching may be supernatural and
fruitful.”

“The efficacy of preaching is shrouded in mystery. For, in
the first place, it depends not only on the effort put into it by the priest
himself but also on the hidden workings of God’s grace which has to be obtained
through prayer.”

“However it must be remembered that preaching can only be
fruitful if it is prepared. It is nearly always true that a sermon which has
not been preceded by careful study and prayer does not bring lasting profit to
souls, even to those who are well disposed.”

“The success of this preaching is due to divine grace, since
the priest is now co-operateing with God himself.”

Sacred
eloquence in preaching

“After the sacraments there is nothing more divine, more
sacred, than the word of God contained in Scripture and Tradition and which has
to be preached to the faithful. Therefore this preaching is aptly termed sacred
eloquence.”

“In the same way as the silver of a chalice is overlaid with
gold, so is the ordinary rhetoric used in sacred eloquence perfected in a
supernatural way. It loses many of its useless ornaments and receives higher
qualities.”

“Since it is an eloquence to be used for preaching to Gospel
to all men, it must obviously be adapted to human nature. At the same time,
however, it should not be so popular as to make little or no appeal to the
educated. It should avoid being too abstract or too artificial, so that it may
be understood by all, even by the uneducated. The presentation of the word of
God should provide nourishment for the soul, just as material food nourishes
the body.”

Forgetfulness
of self as necessary to Christian preaching

“If the priest approaches his task from the human angle, he
will say to himself: ‘I cannot afford to lose my reputation; people of weight
in the parish who take offence easily must be spared their feelings and not
provoked; I must proceed warily so as not to incur criticism.’ In that way
Christian eloquence is invaded by a profane eloquence in which the preacher
looks after his own interests, not the glory of God or the saving of souls.”

“This human or secular approach to Christian eloquence may
originate from any of the following three sources: a lack of faith, a want of
humility, a lack of prayer and charity.”

The
content of every sermon: Heaven, hell, death, and judgment

“Christian preaching must always be directed towards the
final end of man; that is, towards the supreme love of God and the eternal
salvation of souls.”

“The priest should often make this general purpose of
preaching the chief topic of his sermon, frequently talking to his people about
the final end of man, eternal salvation, the serving of God and his glory,
death, prayer as an essential means of salvation, final perseverance, the duty
of loving God and Jesus Christ, devotion to Mary as a sign of predestination
and the way which leads to eternal life. The priest should never tire of
putting these subjects before his people.”

“Christ himself opened his first sermon on the mount with
the beatitudes in order to show that eternal happiness begins here on earth;
although everybody looks for happiness, not all of them realize that it is only
to be found in loving God above everything.”

“Preaching loses its Christian character when it does not
concern itself with eternal salvation, or when it fears to mention eternal
punishment. We find in the New Testament that Christ often spoke about Hell,
and the saints were never afraid to preach about it. Otherwise a priest’s
sermons will cease to be priestly and become purely academic. He will avoid the
important truths, soften down the Gospel, and fail to lead souls to salvation.”

A final
word on good Christian preaching

“What should be the
priest’s practical attitude towards the outcome of his apostolate of preaching?
In the first place, he must continue preaching the word of God, since this is
one of the most fundamental duties of the priestly state. … Secondly, the
priest must beware of falling a victim to delusion in his preaching, discovering
success where it does not really exist. This would be a serious temptation to
vain glory. … Thirdly, the priest must maintain his confidence in God and in
the efficacy of divine grace. There are certain times and places when
depression is liable to become a serious temptation for a priest whose
apostolate seems to be yielding little or no result. He preaches but nobody
listens, he sows but does not reap. And so he is weighed down with sorrow. In
order to fight against and overcome this feeling of sorrow, the priest should
plead for the grace of an even more steadfast belief in the efficacy of God’
word. He should say to himself: When I preach the Gospel, it is not I who am
preaching but God who is preaching in me and through me, and how could this
word of God be fruitless?”

9
comments:

How extraordinary ... St Alphonsus' book has been a companion of mine for last 15 years ... & I just ordered Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange's one a few days ago! One might almost think someone was trying to tell me something :-)

Great post, Father, on a topic whose importance can not be overstated. In Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange's words: 'After the sacraments there is nothing more divine, more sacred, than the word of God contained in Scripture and Tradition and which has to be preached to the faithful.'

I assisted at Mass at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice, Fl last Sunday and during his Homily the Priest averred that if a Catholic never went to Mass he would miss out on a lot of necessary blessings and although God would never condemn him to Hell for doing that...

So, don't forget that generosity and non-judgmentalism is a crucial part of any good homily....

Thanks again for a great teaching! I am praying for you, my pastor, and all bishops, priests and deacons. Oh, and IANS, that's a real knee-slapper, by cracky! I love reading St. Jean Marie Vianney's homilies, talk about telling it like it is... God bless you, Father.

Fantastic post Father! The quality of preaching is real concern to some of us laity, who know that there is more to be had from preaching than endless moral exhortation, to 'live better lives' (as important as that is). It would be interesting to hear other people's experiences - I find it wearying having to listen to basically the same homily week after week.

Personally, I'd like our priests to teach us basic doctrines - Real Presence, Mortal & Venial sin, The Assumption...just to mix it up once in a while. I think a certain 'anti-intellectual' element has set in, and the intellectual needs of the less-well-educated aren't even catered for. These doctrines aren't beyond the grasp of anyone who didn't go to university. What do you think?

@Mark,Actually it was something much simpler ... the fact that most people hear preaching on Sundays ... and most priests finalize that Sunday homily on Saturday ... so, it seems that Saturday is a good day for prayer! :-)

Thank you for your blog.Reading it was an important reminder for me both about the need for prayer and study as I prepare to preach and also about always keeping in mind the most important aims of preaching.

Maybe I myself would list these aims as moving people:-

to repentance and faith in Christ to love God,to love others (especially the poor), to grow as disciples of Jesus, to be holy, to understand what it means to live lives of holiness in the world and then to live such holy livesto pray to evangelise and to help others do all the above.

If people are moved in this way then the final end of "supreme love of God and the eternal salvation of souls" will certainly be met.

This is NOT in anyway to disagree about the need for preaching on Heaven, hell, death, and judgement.

I just posted a comment, it has not yet been approved by the blog-administrator, but I hope it will be. I would like to add to that comment. John Paul II has something great to tell us about what the aim or preaching should be. In Redmptoris Missio 46 he writes:-

"46. The proclamation of the Word of God has Christian conversion as its aim: a complete and sincere adherence to Christ and his Gospel through faith. Conversion is a gift of God, a work of the Blessed Trinity. It is the Spirit who opens people's hearts so that they can believe in Christ and "confess him'' (cf. 1 Cor 12:3); of those who draw near to him through faith Jesus says: "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him" (Jn 6:44)."